BEIJING — China's national observatory on June 11 renewed a blue alert for rainstorms that will hit parts of the country for the next 24 hours.

From night of June 11 to the night of June 12, heavy rains or rainstorms are expected in regions of Guizhou, Chongqing, Shaanxi, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Shandong, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

Downpours are forecast in some areas of Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangsu, the NMC said, warning that some of those regions are likely to see hourly precipitation surpass 70 mm.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.

The NMC advised local governments to remain alert for possible flooding, landslides, and mudslides caused by heavy rains and recommended outdoor operations be halted in hazardous areas.

Since the beginning of June, downpours have hit large parts of South, East and Central China.

As of 2 pm on June 9, more than 20 people had been killed or gone missing after torrential downpours caused floods in South China. The rain-triggered floods had affected some 2.63 million people in 11 provincial-level regions, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.